In the wake of the Pegasus exposé, an EGI representative stated its implications on constitutional democracy but said that the association was still deliberating future steps. The Editors Guild of India (EGI) expressed shock in its press statement condemning the widespread snooping aided by the NSO Group's Pegasus spyware while demanding an independent enquiry to be monitored by the Supreme Court of India. EGI's statement was made in response to a flurry of news reports alleging that the software developed by the Israeli company was used to surveil journalists, activists, businessmen, scientists, and politicians. The investigation was led by Forbidden Stories along with a consortium of 17 media organisations with forensic analysis of infected phones undertaken by Amnesty International. You can read the Pegasus Project reports here: Forbidden Stories The Guardian The Wire Washington Post The Guild based its opinion on emerging media reports and said that the alleged surveillance was ordered by government agencies in all likelihood as the NSO Group claims that it sells the software only to “vetted governments”. A threat to constitutional democracy: EGI The Guild also conveyed its dismay over claims that Indian journalists and activists were surveilled using Pegasus, despite the NSO Group's CEO Shalev Hulio explicitly stating that "journalists, human rights activists, and civil organizations are all off-limits,” in a Washington Post interview. “While some of the instances of surveillance might have been targeted against those who may be seen as credible national security threats, what is disturbing is that a large number…
